Caught Inside
by KBelle
Summary: UPDATED! Mercedes Toretto loves surfing and hates street-racing. Her brother Dom doesn't approve of her surfing life style. Who will she turn to when she is faced with a personal tragedy?
1. Surf girl

Caught Inside  
  
By: KBelle  
  
Chapter One  
  
Mercedes Toretto hurried out to her car. Looking at her watch, she threw her surfboard into the back of her blue Jeep Wrangler. "Shit," she said to herself as she realized she was going to be late. Looking in her bag, Mercedes double-checked that she had everything.  
  
"Sunscreen, towel, wax, and sandals," she listed aloud as she went over everything to make sure it was accounted for. There wasn't anything worse than showing up to the beach missing an essential. Dressed in her hazel green halter bikini, which matched and accented her eyes, Mercedes jumped in the front seat of the Jeep and pulled out of the driveway.  
  
A few seconds later, Mercedes pulled up to the front of the third house down from hers and honked the horn quickly. A blonde hair, blue-eyed boy came hurrying out of the house. Throwing his surfboard in the back of the Jeep along with his towel, he asked, "What the hell took you so long, Sadie?"  
  
"Shut up, Brady and get in," Mercedes smirked as she flicked her sunglasses down from atop her head and over her eyes. The boy hopped in the front passenger seat and they continued down the street.  
  
Brady and Mercedes were best friends. Ever since around the age of seven, the two had been inseparable. Although they did not attend the same high school, they spent every available waking second together. Brady was the one who had introduced Mercedes to the surfing world. He had been the one who taught her and continued to help her improve. Sadie was Brady's special nickname for her. No one else called her that and they dared not.  
  
After a short car ride, Mercedes pulled her Jeep into a somewhat crowded parking lot. Parking, they got out, collected their gear out of the car, and headed towards the surf and sand before them.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Walking up the back door steps, Mercedes laid her surfboard against the house before she entered. Once in the kitchen, she saw her sister Mia cooking. Her back was turned, so Mercedes tried to shut the door as quietly as possible.  
  
"Nice try Ceds," Mia commented not turning around. "Take a quick shower, get dressed and come down for dinner."  
  
Sighing and lowering her head with a smile, Mercedes hurried upstairs to do as she was told.  
  
Running down the steps and jumping down the last three, Mercedes returned shortly to the kitchen in black shorts, a teal tank top, and her long, dark brown, wet hair in a ponytail. Picking up a few prepared dishes, she carried them outside to the picnic table that everyone was gathered around.  
  
"Yo, Ceds! What's up surfer girl?" Leon asked with a smile as he handed out napkins.  
  
Smiling, she answered quietly and simply, "Same shit, different day," throwing in a playful smile. "What about you?"  
  
"I met this girl at the garage today when she brought her car in to get some work done. Her name's Kelly and she's SMOKIN!! I think I'm gonna ask her out when she comes to pick it up," Leon smiled from ear to ear. Mercedes nodded and just giggled to herself.  
  
Everyone sat down in his or her seat around the picnic table. Mercedes took her seat in between Dom and Letty. Dom looked at Mercedes then bowed his head and closed his eyes. Mercedes said a short grace and everyone began to eat.  
  
During dinner there was much talk among Letty, Dom, Vince, Leon, and Jesse about the day's work, cars, and racing. Mia joined in every now and then as well. Mercedes ate quietly and just observed the conversation from the outside.  
  
"Speaking of new cars," Dom interjected, "What do you think about a new car for your 18 birthday coming up in a couple months, Ceds?" He turned to his youngest sister and smiled.  
  
"But I like my Jeep," Mercedes answered simply, taking a sip of her water.  
  
"Yeah. but come on, Ceds!" Vince started in. "That's a hunk of junk! I bet it barely reaches 80!"  
  
"I don't care." she retorted defensively. "I like my Jeep and I don't want another car. Besides, me and Brady's surfboards wouldn't fit in one of the cars you would probably get me anyways."  
  
Dom sighed, shook his head. Looking up he first locked eyes with his friend and pointed a finger at him as he reprimanded him. "First off Vince, just because she were to own a fast car, doesn't mean she'd have to drive it that way.  
  
Turning to look at his sister, he continued. "And second, I was just offering, Mercedes. I thought a new car might be a nice birthday present," he said a bit dejected.  
  
Dom had hated buying that Jeep for his sister on her 16th birthday. He despised it actually! It was a blue Jeep Wrangler with a soft top that could be taken off. It wasn't a racing car by any means. Dom had wanted his sister to have a car similar to everyone else's on the team. But Mercedes had stressed that she didn't wanted one. He then tried to convince her to let the team work on her Jeep and sup it up a bit. Mercedes threw a fit at this idea, threatening death to anyone who touched her car or changed it one bit. That had been the end of that conversation. No one ever asked again.  
  
Dinner continued with the mindless chatter of cars and racing. Mercedes continued to sit quietly, answering the few questions about school and that day's waves as they came. When dinner was done, dishes washed and put away, she headed up to her room and closed the door.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Around 10 o'clock that evening, Dom knocked on his sister's door. "Come in," he heard from within. Opening the door, he saw Mercedes lying on her bed; books spread everywhere as she worked on math homework. Not looking up from her work, she asked, "What's up?"  
  
"Hey, I just came in to see how the homework was coming along?" Dom asked.  
  
"Fine," she answered dryly without looking up or stopping from writing.  
  
"Need any help?" Dom asked.  
  
"No thanks."  
  
"Um. ok then." Dom said awkwardly. "Well. the boys, Letty, Mia, and I are heading to the race. Any interest."  
  
"Nope," Mercedes answered cutting off the question. She knew what it was going to be. Any interest in coming with us to the race tonight? She had no desire to become involved with the street-racing world. She actually had never even seen her brother race. And honestly never wanted to. Watching her father crash and burn to death was trauma enough for a teenager. The possibility of witnessing her brother repeat history was not on her list of things to do in her life.  
  
"Alright," Dom sighed as he slightly shook his head in frustration. He had tried. yet again! "Just call my cell if you need anything, Ceds," he added as he walked over to the bed and kissed Mercedes on her head.  
  
A few minutes later Mercedes heard the team load up and roll out, squealing tires and all. 


	2. No Surfing Before School

Chapter Four  
  
Awaken at 4:30 am the next morning, Mercedes groggily reached for her cell phone as it rang. Looking at the caller ID, it read 'Brady'. She groaned as she answered the call.  
  
"Brady Matheson, this better be damn good cuz it's 4:30 am on a school day."  
  
Brady laughed on the other end. "I checked the surf conditions this morning. There are some killer waves! We've got an offshore wind this morning. We should surf before school. I don't know if the winds gonna stick around till later this afternoon. Wanna go? Come on Sadie, we can't miss this!" he explained urgently and excitedly.  
  
With a sigh, she replied, "Yeah I'll go. But you have to drive. I'm gonna have to sneak out and Dom would def hear me if I started up my Jeep. Come get me in about 10 minutes."  
  
"Awesome! See ya then!" Brady exclaimed as they ended their call.  
  
Mercedes hopped out of bed, picked up her black boy cut bikini bottoms and red bikini halter-top. Getting dressed quickly, she threw her hair into a ponytail and grabbed the piece of wax on her dresser. Quietly making her way downstairs, Mercedes slipped out the back door, grabbed her board and headed down to the street to wait for Brady.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"Shit! Shit, shit, shiiiiit!" Mercedes cursed as she jumped out of Brady's black Blazer. Grabbing her board from the back, she quickly waved goodbye to Brady as she hurried up the driveway. It was 7:15 am. They had accidentally lost track of time and surfed way longer than they should have. Dom was going to flip out! She would have only 25 minutes to get ready for school. That would have to include some time to finish up some homework which she hadn't done the night before. Mercedes liked to think of homework as optional. If she had time to do it, then it got done, if not, then no big deal. If only Dom and her teachers felt the same way!  
  
Running up the few steps to the front porch, Mercedes went noisily into the front door. She was in a hurry and couldn't worry about being quiet. She laid her surfboard up against the wall just inside the door. Just as she bounded up the first five steps, she heard Dom's booming voice yell, "Mercedes. in the kitchen. now."  
  
"Damn," she whispered to herself as she rolled her eyes and did an about face to head to the kitchen.  
  
Dom started right in as soon as she was visible in the doorway. "God damnit Mercedes! Do you know what time it is? It's quarter after seven! And do you know what time you have to be at school? 7:45! I've told you before no surfing before school! Jesus! I'll take that surfboard away from you if you continue to do this. You're not throwing away an education just so you can go rip it up with your surf crew!"  
  
Dom was pissed and definitely showing it by his loud, angry voice. The various waving arms and poundings on the table sort of gave it away as well. Walking over towards her, he stood in front of her, a harsh, stern look on his face and pointed a finger down at her. "One more stunt like this and the board is gone. You understand?"  
  
Mercedes stood her ground and looked up at her brother with a hard look in her eyes.  
  
"Perfectly," she answered simply, a strong edge similar to Dom's in her own voice. There were a lot more words that wanted to come out, but Mercedes knew when and where to pick a fight with her brother. This was not one of those times. Turning around, she ran up the stairs to get ready for school.  
  
At 7:35 am Mercedes hurried down the stairs dressed and ready to leave for school. The homework hadn't been done, but no one would notice. She stopped in the kitchen one last time to pick up the lunch Mia had made for her. "Thanks Mi," she said just loudly enough for her to hear.  
  
Grabbing her keys from the counter, Mercedes started to head out the back door.  
  
"Move your board!" Dom demanded from behind the magazine he was reading, before she could make her getaway.  
  
"It's just up against the wall. It's not in anyone's way," Mercedes argued back. She was in a hurry and now he was going to throw this petty bullshit on her.  
  
"I don't want to see that board, and if you do, I suggest you move it before I break it!" he raised his voice as he slammed a heavy hand down on the table.  
  
"But Dom." Mercedes started with a hint of annoyance in her voice.  
  
"Mercedes," Mia interrupted, not looking up from the vegetables she was slicing.  
  
Mercedes looked over at her sister in disbelief. She couldn't believe Mia would butt in on this argument. And to take Dom's side added insult to injury! Mia usually didn't interfere in arguments between her younger sister and brother.  
  
Whatever, Mercedes thought to herself. Heading towards the front door, she grabbed her board and ran it up to her room quickly, cursing under her breath the whole way.  
  
After dropping off the surfboard, she ran down the stairs and out the front door. Not bothering to catch the front door behind her, it slammed shut. Jumping in her Jeep, Mercedes sped off to school. 


	3. The New Surf Crew

Chapter Six  
  
Mercedes headed straight home as soon as school let out at 2:15 pm. Once inside the house, she had 30 minutes to get ready. She had to pick Brady up at 2:45 pm to head to the beach. This was their normal weekday routine. After school, one person would pick the other up at 2:45 pm and they would head to the beach together to surf until dinnertime.  
  
Mercedes dropped her book bag off in her room and got changed. She put on her black boy cut bikini bottoms and white sports cut bikini top. Grabbing all her gear, putting on some sunscreen, and then grabbing a quick snack, Mercedes headed out the door.  
  
As the two entered the parking lot in Mercedes' Jeep, they saw that the beach was packed. "Shit," Brady cursed in frustration. "Why the hell is it so packed today?" he asked aloud.  
  
Shaking her head and pulling into the first available spot, Mercedes answered with a shoulder shrug, "I don't know. But don't worry about it. Let's just get out boards and surf."  
  
The two unloaded their gear and headed towards the beach. After taking a minute to wax up their boards, they headed out into the water with smiles on their faces and laughter in the air. The crowded beach and surf was no longer a concern. Only having fun and ripping it up.  
  
About 2 ½ half hours later, Brady rode a wave all the way in and got out of the ocean. He headed over to the showers to rinse himself and board off. Walking back to their stuff, Mercedes was just walking up the beach from the ocean. "What took ya so long, dude?" Brady asked with a joking smile.  
  
"You hogged that wave and it was the last one of the set! I had to wait to catch another one. That's what freakin took me so long!" Mercedes joked back, giving him a slight push. Brady laughed and reached to push her back, but she had anticipated it and started to jog towards the shower narrowly escaping his vengeful wrath!  
  
As Brady dried off and started to pack up their few belongings a black hair, darkly tanned boy approached him. "Hey bro," he greeted casually.  
  
"Hey," Brady said stopping what he was doing to watch him walk closer. He was very well built, muscles very toned in all the right places.  
  
"I'm Landon," he introduced himself, offering his hand.  
  
Brady returned the hand slap and introduced himself. "Brady."  
  
"My crew and I were watching you surf today. You can really rip!" Landon exclaimed enthusiastically.  
  
"Thanks," Brady answered uneasily, skeptical of why this kid had approached him.  
  
"No really. We were impressed. Your girlfriend was pretty good too. for a girl," Landon said as he made a gesture with his head in Mercedes' direction.  
  
"She's pretty good for any surfer," Brady quickly corrected the guy, getting defensive for his best friend. Mercedes was never given the respect she deserved in the surfing world. Women surfers were still seen as inferior to the men. Sure, they were told they could surf well and rip it up, but always "for a girl."  
  
Laughing to lighten up a bit, he corrected him again, "No, no, no. She's not my girlfriend. That's just my best friend, Mercedes."  
  
"Oh ok," Landon said shaking his head and letting out a big smile. "Well, my crew and I," he paused to turn and point to a group of four other guys standing a distance away starring at the them with huge smiles and bits of laughter, "just wanted to know if you would like to surf and hang out with us tomorrow afternoon?" He paused and looked towards Brady for an answer.  
  
Thinking for a second, glancing back to see where Mercedes was, who was STILL rinsing off, then turning back towards Landon, he shook his head. "Yeah. That sounds cool. But only if she can come along too," Brady negotiated.  
  
Landon looked over towards the girl. 'Well, even if she can't surf as well as us, at least she'll provide some eye candy,' he thought to himself as he checked her out.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Landon complied. He'd do whatever it took to have Brady come and surf with his crew. They were always looking for talented surfers to join. It was good practice to surf against those with the same or even superior skill. "We'll see ya on the beach at 3 tomorrow then. Lata bro," Landon smiled as he high-fived Brady. Turning, he jogged off towards his friends.  
  
A few minutes later, Mercedes made her way over to Brady. "Who was that?" she asked as she eyed the boy up and down with a smile.  
  
"Landon. he asked us to surf with his crew tomorrow," he commented dryly. He didn't plan on telling Mercedes that she was only invited after he had asked for her. She would never agree to surf with the new crew if she knew they probably had only allowed her to come in order to get Brady to say yes.  
  
"You better have said yes!" Mercedes exclaimed quickly looking towards Brady. "Brady? Please tell me you said yes? Brady!! Come on! Answer me!" she cried enthusiastically, hoping up and down as she waited for his answer.  
  
Laughing, Brady rolled his eyes and nodded 'yes.'  
  
"Woo hoo!" Mercedes shouted as she wrapped an arm around Brady's neck and gave him a huge hug. "I can't wait for tomorrow!" she added as the two grabbed their stuff and headed for the car.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
The next afternoon Mercedes dressed in her light purple with small white flowers bikini bottoms and matching tankini top for the beach. Her hair was french braided with a purple ponytail holder at the bottom. She looked hot and she knew it!  
  
Once at the beach, Brady spotted and pointed out the group and the two made their way over.  
  
Landon noticed them coming first and smiled. "What's up bro?" he greeted them as he slapped hands with Brady. Brady smiled and returned the slap. Putting down their boards, Mercedes felt a bit out of place. She moved closer to Brady and slightly behind him.  
  
Landon moved to the other side of Brady and began introductions.  
  
"Guys, this is Brady. We watched him yesterday. He's gonna surf with us from now on. That's Pete, Chase, Shane, and Jacob," Landon pointed each guy out. Brady shook hands with each of them as they were introduced. Mercedes took careful note on each one's name. Clearing her throat, she looked over at Landon as she squinted in the sun.  
  
"Oh right. And this is Mercedes," Landon added quickly.  
  
Mercedes smiled nervously at the guys who gave her quick, uninterested smiles back. The smile disappeared from her face, as she felt a bit unwelcome.  
  
"Alright, we're wasting time. Let's surf!" Jacob smiled as he picked up his board and headed towards the water. Everyone followed him into the ocean.  
  
After a great session of surfing, the group dispersed from the beach, shouting congratulations and praises to Brady as they left. Brady was stoked and smiled from ear to ear. All Mercedes got was a few small smiles and "see ya" when she tried to say goodbye to everyone. She had surfed well that day and was sure the guys would be impressed. even if just slightly. She was very disappointed when they hadn't even really noticed. On the ride home, Mercedes just listened to Brady as he talked about his surfing and what he noticed about the other guys' technique. She wasn't up for much talking. 


	4. The Black Sheep of the Family

Chapter Eight  
  
Two weeks later Mercedes headed down to dinner like usual. Dom looked pretty pissed tonight. Maybe it had been a bad day at the garage. Taking her seat next to him, she avoided eye contact with anyone. She hadn't been in the best of moods the past few days due to still feeling neglected and overlooked by the new surf crew. Once everyone had been seated, Mercedes said grace, everyone dug in, and the mindless racing chatter began.  
  
"Ceds, that chic finally came into the garage today to pick up her car!" Leon began to explain, obviously very excited from the smile on his face. "It needed a ton of work done. New alternator, oil change, tires rotated."  
  
"Leon." Mercedes interrupted a bit harshly as she wanted him to get on with the story. She didn't care about what car parts needed to be fixed.  
  
"Oh right, sorry," he apologized and continued. "Anyways, I asked her out and she said yes! So she gave me her number. I figured I would call her tomorrow and see if she wanted to go to the race with me," he beamed.  
  
"Don't you think you should take her somewhere nicer, Leon? Like to dinner and a movie or something? I mean racing might not be her thing and it's not a very romantic first date. Take her to Cha Cha Cha," Mercedes firmly advised.  
  
Leon pondered her advice for a second or two, then shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and nodded in agreement with the suggestion.  
  
Mercedes noticed that Dom was very quiet at dinner. She looked to her left at Letty and caught her eye. Letty just gave a slight shoulder shrug and continued to eat.  
  
"I got a call from your chemistry teacher today, Ceds" Dom spoke somewhat quietly.  
  
Mercedes stopped pushing her food around on her plate and slowly lifted her head to look at Dom. Locking eyes with him for a second, she turned quickly to focus on playing with her food again. She knew what was coming next.  
  
"She said that you haven't been doing your homework, participating in class, or doing well on your tests. And she has heard from other teachers that it's the same in their classes as well," Dom started to raise his voice a bit.  
  
"Do we have to discuss this now?" Mercedes asked a bit pissed that Dom would bring this up in front of everyone. But then again, Dom was probably trying to embarrass her.  
  
"Yes we have to discuss this now!" he boomed. "This is serious, Mercedes!"  
  
"No, it's not Dom!" she interrupted quickly with a bit of snicker in her voice.  
  
"Not serious? Well, I think surfing after school in place of studying and completing your homework is serious."  
  
"But if I was working in the garage every day after school and not doing my homework then that would be ok, right?" she yelled back at him. How dare he blame this on surfing!  
  
"No! Your sister used to work every day after school at the store or the garage. And look at her! She got A's in high school and now she's going to medical school!! Medical school, Mercedes!" Dom yelled back. Mia put her head down at the other end of the table. She knew comparing Mercedes to herself wasn't fair on Dom's part. But she couldn't say anything.  
  
Mercedes stood up and stepped back from the table. "I'm not like Mia, Dom! I'm not like any of you! When are you going to realize that?" she screamed as she fought back the tears welding up in her eyes. She wasn't going to cry in front of Dom. She wouldn't allow him to see that he was getting to her.  
  
Dom spoke coldly and stared hard into her hazel eyes, "Maybe you should learn to be."  
  
With that last comment, Mercedes shook her head and started off down the driveway. Being compared to Mia was one of the things Mercedes hated most in the world. Just because they were sisters didn't mean they had to act and behave in similar manners. Yet people, mostly Dom, seemed to believe that was supposed to be true.  
  
Dom turned back to his meal at hand. Everyone was starring at him in disbelief.  
  
"What are you all looking at? Show's over," he growled as he concentrated on his plate before him.  
  
Mercedes continued down the street towards the Matheson's house, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall. Quickly jogging up the back steps, she reached for the screen door.  
  
Erin Matheson, Brady's mom, was sitting at her kitchen table reading a book as she heard the footsteps. Looking up, she saw Mercedes at the back door. She stood up and opened her arms as she greeted the obviously upset girl.  
  
"Aw sweetheart," she said sincerely as Mercedes walked into her arms and the two embraced.  
  
The tears began to fall from Mercedes' eyes. Erin could feel the girl's shoulders fall up and down as she sobbed. Knowing Mercedes, the tears would stop in a few minutes. She just needed to get them all out. Erin was the only one who had seen Mercedes cry since her father's death 9 years ago. She never cried in front of her family, friends, or even Brady. But in front of Erin, the tears could flow freely.  
  
Brady quietly walked down the steps and peered into the kitchen. He saw Mercedes and his mom and turned to go back upstairs. Mercedes visited Erin a couple of times a week for their "girl talk" sessions. Sometimes they were filled with laugher and sometimes with tears. They each liked to think of the other as filling in the missing piece in their life, mother and daughter.  
  
Once Mercedes stopped crying, she let go of Erin and took a seat at the kitchen table. Getting out glasses and the pitcher of fresh made lemonade, Erin poured them each a glass. Sitting down next to Mercedes, she began to listen as Mercedes vented about the fight with her brother, troubles at school, and her frustrations with the new surf crew. 


	5. Wipeout

Chapter Nine  
  
Two months went by that Mercedes and Brady spent surfing with Landon and the boys. Brady seemed to fit in better with the group. Mercedes still felt her surfing was overlooked. Or if not overlooked, then they guys didn't want to admit that she could surf just as well as they could. She stuck it out though refusing to give them the satisfaction of driving her out of the crew. Returning to the beach every day with Brady, Mercedes practiced hard to improve her skills.  
  
"Hey," Landon smiled as he paddled over towards Mercedes in the line-up one day. The waves were pretty big and rough that day. A storm was coming in off the coast, making great surf conditions. She was sitting on her board waiting for the next set to roll in, a pissed look on her face. Looking over his way, she locked eyes with him for a second and then put her head down as he came closer.  
  
"Rough day?" Landon asked in regards to the many wipeouts Mercedes was having today. Every wave she tried to stand up on she wiped out and got worked!  
  
Scowling at him as she looked up, she replied bitterly, "You don't have to rub it in!"  
  
"Woah, woah! I was just asking," he defended himself, putting up both hands as in 'I-surrender.' Lowering his hands, he asked, "You ok?" with a genuine look of concern on his face.  
  
"I'm fine," she answered disdainfully. "Just not my day with the waves. But I'm not quitting. I can hack it out here," she added defensively, looking harshly at him.  
  
"Mercedes, I was just asking. I know you can hack it. I've watched you for the past two months. I know Jacob and Pete, and especially Chase and Shane, won't say this, but you're a good surfer. Actually, a great surfer. I've noticed even if they haven't," Landon spoke sincerely. He splashed some water at Mercedes to get her to look up. When she did, he gave her a smile and she managed a small one back.  
  
"Sadie, Landon! Here comes the next set," Brady interrupted as he yelled from a few feet away to give them a heads up. The two turned towards the beach in preparation to catch some more waves.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Mercedes excused herself from dinner that night. The terrible surfing that day had made her lose her appetite. Instead, she headed upstairs to do her homework. Dom had taken it upon himself to never forget ask to ask for her assignment sheet that her teachers were forcing her to fill out and have him sign every night. He would then ask to see the assignments to make sure they were completed, and done correctly. Mercedes just saw it as a pain in the ass and a way for Dom to find something extra to yell at her about. Which is why she concentrated hard on her homework more often in order to not allow Dom to find anything wrong. Just as she got out all her books and lay down on her floor to begin, her cell phone rang.  
  
Hurrying across her room to grab the phone, she read 'Brady' on the caller ID.  
  
"Hey," she answered solemnly.  
  
"Hey girl," Brady replied. Mercedes could hear the smile on his face, which caused her to smile a bit. "Whatcha up to?" he asked.  
  
Sighing, she answered "Oh. just homework," as she headed back over to her bed to get working.  
  
"The guys and I are going over to Chase's house tonight to watch a movie and play video games. Wanna go?" he asked excitedly.  
  
"First of all, Brady, it's a school night and I doubt Dom would let me go out even if I asked. And second, I'm not feeling up to hanging out with all of them tonight," Mercedes sighed again as she replayed a few earlier wipeouts in her head.  
  
"Alright." Brady replied reluctantly, pausing before he continued. "Well, if you change your mind, call my cell, ok? And Sadie? Don't worry about today. If anything, you showed them that you aren't some wimpy girl who crawls back to the beach after a wipeout or two. You showed them that you have what it takes to get thrown around and pounded by the ocean. That's something," he told her sincerely.  
  
"Thanks Brady," Mercedes smiled slightly as she appreciated her best friends' encouragement. "Have fun, and I'll talk to you after school tomorrow. Lata bro."  
  
"Lata chica," Brady concluded as they up the phone.  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Later that night, around 12:30 am, Brady decided that he had to head home. His mom would probably be a bit upset that he was out so late on a school night. He said goodbye to all the guys and headed out. Driving up the coastal highway, traffic was very light. Only a few other cars were out on the road this late. That's when Brady saw them. Two sets of headlights coming extremely fast in the opposite two lanes. One set then veered off to the right, crossing over the lanes of traffic and heading straight for Brady's Blazer. 


	6. Waves come crashing down

Chapter Twelve  
  
The next afternoon Mercedes knew something was up. As she pulled up to the house after school, everyone's car was parked in the driveway or on the street. "That's funny," she commented out loud. The driveway and street should be empty because the team should all be at work. Parking on the street, she made her way to the house and in the front door.  
  
Once inside, she could see everyone gathered in the family room off to the right. She slowly walked into the room. Her eyes first locked onto Mia, sitting on the loveseat with Jesse. Mia's face was obviously tear stained. Jesse had his arm around Mia as he comforted her. Vince was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, arms folded across his chest, starring blankly in Mia's direction. On the recliner, Leon looked up to lock his sad eyes with Mercedes' as she walked in the room. Dom and Letty were occupying the couch. Letty's legs were drawn up to her chest as she was leaning into Dom. His arm around her shoulders, eyes fastened to the floor. Hearing footsteps after the door closed, Dom slowly looked up and saw Mercedes standing in the entrance to the room.  
  
"What's." Mercedes started looking around at everyone, puzzled.  
  
Dom took a deep breath. "Ceds, sit down babes," he patted the seat next to him on the sofa.  
  
Shaking her head, she dropped her book bag on the floor. "No.I. uh. I don't want to sit," she stammered.  
  
"Something happened last night," Dom started. Mia immediately started to sob again, and Jesse pulled her into his chest. "Brady was involved in an accident."  
  
"What kind of accident?" she asked in an uncertain voice, not sure if she really wanted to know.  
  
"A car accident," Dom told her simply, not knowing any gentle way to break the news. He stood up from the couch and took a step towards his youngest sister. Mercedes immediately put her hands up to signal to him that she didn't want him to come near her.  
  
She shook her head slightly in disbelief. "No. no way," she spoke quietly, not believing that this was actually happening.  
  
Taking another slow step towards her, Dom started to lift his arm to embrace Mercedes. "The police said he was killed instantly, sweetie. No pain, no suffering," he informed his sister as he took another step closer.  
  
"Dom, don't," she said in a panic, taking a step backwards into the doorframe in an effort to get away from her brother. If he touched her, if anyone touched her, she knew she would lose it and break down.  
  
Dom saw the terror and sorrow in Mercedes eyes and stopped his advance. Staying where he was, he waited for his sister to say something. Looking over at Mia, he could see her crying uncontrollably again. Jesse even had a tear running down his cheek. Letty's eyes were welding up with tears as she rested her chin on her knees. Vince and Leon still had blank, solemn expressions on their faces.  
  
"Was. it Brady's fault?" Mercedes asked quietly, obviously holding back her tears.  
  
Dom sighed and lowered his head to the floor. This is the part he had dreaded the most telling Mercedes. "No. a car crossed the lanes of traffic on the coastal highway late last night. He was hit. head on. The other car was going extremely fast. So fast that. the impact killed them both instantly," Dom replied as he kept his eyes on the floor.  
  
Now Mercedes eyes filled with rage as she took a deep breath and asked, "Was it a racer?"  
  
Dom didn't answer, just lifted his head and looked regretfully into her eyes.  
  
"Was it a racer?" Mercedes yelled as a sob managed to find it's way out of her mouth at the end of her question.  
  
All Dom could do was shake his head slowly 'yes.'  
  
"Who, Dominic? Who? I want to know what son of a bitch did this! Did we know them?" Mercedes choked out, her voice filled with anger and grief.  
  
Dom again shook his head 'yes' and muttered, "Edwin's cousin," unable to think of anything more appropriate.  
  
One lone tear fell from the corner of Mercedes eye as she shook her head and a small queer smile escaped her lips.  
  
"See." she started in as calm as a voice as she could manage at a time like this. Raising a hand, she pointed at Dom, and then around the room, "You're all murderers. If not yet. then you will be soon. You're no better than Miguel! He killed himself and someone else by his dumb fucking street racing! Is that what you want to do? Kill someone's son or best friend? Better yet, kill yourselves?" Mercedes yelled as she looked around the room quickly, then starred directly at Dom. Another tear dripped down her cheek.  
  
No one answered. They knew it was a rhetorical question. Mia buried her head in Jesse's chest as she began to cry harder. Letty, too, started to cry as she buried her face in her knees. Vince turned his body to face away from Mercedes. Not moving, Jesse and Leon avoided eye contact with Mercedes as well. Dom continued eye contact with his sister.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Ceds. I really."  
  
"Don't, Dom. Just fucking don't!" Mercedes angrily interrupted as she quickly exited the house.  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
Later that evening, Mercedes returned home. She hadn't gone to the Matheson's because Mia had called there looking for her. Her face was tear stained, hair wind tossed, and the life looked like it was sucked right out of her body. Closing the back door slowly behind her, Mia rushed in to see who it was.  
  
"Thank God," Mia let out a sigh of relief as she hurried to give Mercedes a hug, which she didn't return. Mia pulled away and pushed a piece of loose hair out of Mercedes' face.  
  
"Ceds. where did you run off to? Are you ok? Do you need anything? " Mia bombarded her with questions. Not answering, Mercedes just stepped around her sister and slowly trudged up to her room. 


	7. Finding Hope and Strength

Chapter Fourteen  
  
Two weeks after Brady's death, Mercedes finally went back to school thanks to Dom's demand. She still hadn't gone to see Erin Matheson or near the ocean. Landon and the guys from his crew constantly called her house and cell phone wanting to talk to her. Mercedes wouldn't take any of their calls. She was withdrawn and depressed.  
  
"Ceds?" Dom called one afternoon as he knocked on her bedroom door as he entered. She was lying on her bed, her history book opened beside her, but Dom could tell her mind was not on her homework.  
  
"Someone's here to see you, Mercedes," he informed his sister. She didn't turn to acknowledge that her brother was even in the room. She just continued to stare out into space.  
  
"Ceds, hun," Dom spoke softly as he approached her and sat on the edge of her bed.  
  
"Erin is downstairs. She really wants to talk to you. She thought you would have come to visit her by now," he informed Mercedes as a comforting hand came to rest on the small of her back.  
  
Shaking her head, Mercedes whispered softly, "I don't want to see her."  
  
Dom lowered his head in pure exhaustion of trying to help his sister. "Well, if you won't go down and see her, then I'm going to send her up. She needs you right now, Mercedes. And you need her too. whether you want to admit it or not." Standing up, he slowly walked out of the room and downstairs.  
  
A few minutes later, Erin Matheson stood in Mercedes' bedroom doorway. Knocking lightly, she cleared her throat, "Mercedes. can I. uh. can I come in please?"  
  
Mercedes eyes filled with tears as she heard Erin's voice. Wiping them away quickly, she shook her head 'yes.' Closing her book and notebook, Mercedes got up off her bed to put them away in her book bag. Erin cautiously entered the room and stood awkwardly in the middle as she watched the girl put away her things.  
  
"I've been waiting for you to visit." Erin started, her voice shaking. "Mercedes, please. look at me," she pleaded.  
  
Mercedes slowly stopped what she was doing and turned to face Erin. Both of their eyes were filled with tears. Mercedes nervously fiddled with her hands as she kept looking away from Erin.  
  
"Losing. my son has been awful," Erin started to cry. "But. to lose you too, Ceds. I just don't know what I would do with myself." Tears ran down her face.  
  
Mercedes fought back her tears and just shook her head 'no.' "I can't Erin. it's too hard." Mercedes stammered.  
  
Throwing her hands up and shrugging her shoulders, she continued as the tears started to fall, "I don't know what to do with myself anymore. It breaks my heart to see you so upset. And. all I want to do is cry when I think about. about. Brady."  
  
"Sweetheart," Erin spoke as she walked towards Mercedes and wrapped her in a warm, comforting embrace. "It's not going to be easy. But we. we need each other right now," she sobbed. "I know how much you loved Brady and how important he was in your life. You are my living connection to my son. When I see you smile, I can see Brady smiling too."  
  
Mercedes began to sob as she buried her head in Erin's shoulder. "I just keep asking God why I didn't die with him. We always did everything together. We were best friends. And. and he went to Landon's house that night without me. He called and asked me to go! I said. no. I should have gone with him. Why didn't I go? Then he wouldn't. he wouldn't of had to die alone," she cried extremely distraught.  
  
Erin tried to keep her composure and strength for Mercedes' sake as she tried to comfort her. "Things happen for a reason and God has a plan for everyone. You can't question what he does, Mercedes. But Brady would not have wanted you to stop living your life just because his ended. He would still want you to surf. go to school. hang out with your new surf crew. You have to keep going. if not for yourself. then for him."  
  
With nothing more to say, Mercedes just shook her head 'yes' and the two continued to cry in each other's arm for a while longer.  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
After Erin left some time later, Mercedes stayed in her room and tried to concentrate on her homework. All of Erin's words just keep replaying in her head. Her thoughts were interrupted by Dom calling her for dinner. Reluctantly, she got up and went downstairs to join the team in the kitchen.  
  
As she came down the stairs and rounded the corner into the family room, Mercedes stopped dead in her tracks. Resting against the far wall near the kitchen was three of Brady's surfboards. Dom and Mia walked through the kitchen door into the family room.  
  
"What are they doing here?" Mercedes asked, her voice shaky.  
  
"Erin brought them with her when she came," Mia explained as she gave her sister a comforting look.  
  
"She knew Brady would have wanted you to have them," Dom finished with a genuinely sincere tone.  
  
Mercedes cautiously walked towards the boards. She lightly ran her fingers over the board. Smiling and nodding at the thought that came to her mind, she turned around to face Dom.  
  
"What Brady would have wanted." she repeated emotionless. "Would you have stopped racing if I had died in that accident?" Mercedes asked bluntly, with no expression on her face as she picked up the three boards and headed outside, grabbing her keys and cell on the way out.  
  
Once outside, Mercedes put the surfboards in her jeep and got in. Driving off in the direction of the beach, she picked up her cell and called Landon.  
  
"Hey Mercedes," Landon answered on the second ring, apparent there was a smile on his face on the other end.  
  
"Hey," Mercedes replied tentatively. "Um. I'm sorry I haven't returned any of your calls in the past two weeks. It was just." she started to explain.  
  
"Mercedes, it's ok. Really, no explanation needed. I'm just glad you called me now. I've been worried about ya."  
  
She smiled at the sound of Landon's voice. She started to relax and calm down a bit.  
  
"Well, I was just wondering if you could meet me down at the beach?" Mercedes asked as she looked in her rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of Brady's boards.  
  
"Sure, yeah, I'd love to," he responded eagerly. "Right now? Or in 10 minutes or so?"  
  
"Well, I'm about 3 blocks away. Do you want me to just swing by and pick you up? You could give me directions how to get to your house," Mercedes offered hoping she wasn't sounding like a complete dork.  
  
"Nah, it's cool," Landon answered. Mercedes made a disappointed face knowing he couldn't see it. "I live just three houses down from the parking lot. So. I'll just meet ya on the beach in a few. Ok?"  
  
Mercedes' small smile returned, as she was relieved she hadn't totally been shot down. "Ok, see you in a few," she concluded as she hung up her phone and continued to the beach. 


	8. A Light in the Dark

Chapter Sixteen  
  
Mercedes looked around the beach as she sat on one of Brady's boards on the sand. She spotted Landon walking up the beach and waved. He waved back.  
  
Once closer, he approached her with a smile. His black hair blew in the wind and his tan looked even deeper in the setting sunlight. Standing up, Mercedes smiled back and brushed the sand off the back of her shorts.  
  
Landon walked right up to Mercedes, put down his board, and opened his arms, pulling her into a huge hug. Stunned at first, Mercedes then wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back. It was a hug that somehow seemed to lift all her sorrow and burdens off her heart for a few seconds.  
  
Quietly, Landon whispered in her ear, "It's so good to see you, Ceds."  
  
"You too," she replied with a smile as she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
Breaking apart, there was a short awkward silence. Landon broke it by asking, "So you wanna surf?" He looked at the board on the sand then up at Mercedes.  
  
Mercedes bit her lower lip, as she was somewhat unsure of herself. Slowly shaking her head yes, she sighed. "Yeah, I guess it's about time."  
  
Landon smiled and took off his t-shirt and put it down on the sand. Picking up the piece of wax Mercedes had brought to the beach, he began to wax both of their boards.  
  
Mercedes slowly pealed off her shorts and tank top to reveal her black boy short bottoms and hazel green halter bikini top. She starred out towards the ocean as many thoughts ran through her mind.  
  
After finishing waxing the boards, Landon picked up Brady's board and handed it to Mercedes. Then, he tucked his own under his arm.  
  
"Ready?" he asked her as he took two steps in front of her towards the water.  
  
With a sigh, Mercedes shook her head and the two headed down to the water.  
  
Once in the water, Mercedes watched a few waves roll in and by. After a few minutes in the water, she began to catch a few waves. She was very tentative to surf at first. Landon sat on his board and watched as he gave her words of encouragement. Words she needed to hear to get that inner peace and calmness back within soul. After surfing for a bit, Landon and Mercedes sat her board as they watched the sun set over the water. Mercedes sat in front of Landon. Leaning over her shoulder, Landon whispered to her, "It's almost as beautiful as you."  
  
Mercedes continued to stare out at the sunset for a few seconds, extremely flattered at what she just heard. Although the radiating setting sun hid the color, she knew her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. Then an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. Looking over her shoulder back at Landon, she locked her hazel eyes with his dark brown. Managing a small smile, she watched as Landon's face came closer to hers.  
  
Not knowing what to do and panicking, Mercedes turned her head back towards the horizon. Landon looked down at the dark blue water and grimaced a bit. Knowing that she hadn't really meant to pull away and did so in awkwardness, he tried to push the feelings of rejection away. Again, he leaned in to whisper in her ear.  
  
"Ceds, I've had my eye on you ever since the first day I met you. Your dark hair. hazel eyes. deep tan. gorgeous smile. great personality. I was hooked," Landon spilled his heart out. This was the moment he had been waiting for. To tell her his true feelings over such an amazing setting was perfect.  
  
Staring out towards the vast ocean before them, Mercedes looked down as she fidgeting with her fingers. "Landon. I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't have my eye on you either. But." she nervously tried to explain.  
  
"Mercedes," Landon interrupted as she gently pulled her chin for her to look at him. He gazed into her eyes and then leaned in to kiss her, which she accepted and kissed back. 


End file.
